Day 5 – Northwood

Breakfast Treat

The team was treated to a humongous breakfast by Robert and Stephanie Pottle and we can’t be more than thankful for their love and generosity! It was Robert’s birthday but yet the treat was on him! Imagine that!

Northwood Manor- Seniors Centre

The crowd slowly trickled in. The tables were set with the cards and markers allocated accordingly. People entered with very determined faces. They came for one purpose and one purpose alone… to play Bingo! The team quickly discovered that Bingo is a very serious business at Northwood and we were kept busy making sure we weren’t falling behind.

Some team members helped in placing the markers, some checked who got Bingo and some just to cheered along with the very competitive players. The team was able to connect with many of the residents there, who all have amazing but sometimes sad stories. One resident there shared how she would connect with her teenage son and her father only through Skype everyday, as they live very far away from her. With each of us connecting with residents in different ways, the rounds of game went by very quickly with the beautiful Emily as the ball caller. While it did keep us on our toes, it was a wonderful afternoon for the residents. The facilitators thanked the Team, saying that they can only hold Bingo games for such a large crowd if there were lots of volunteers.

Dinner with Dorothy Paterson

We had the privilege of hosting Dorothy Paterson- Director of ARK Outreach- for supper with the team. It was a great opportunity to get to know her more and learn more about the work she does. The hours passed by quickly as we enjoyed a feast prepared by Emily and vibrant conversation. Dorothy is truly an amazing lady and we are looking forward to having the privilege of working along side such wonderful woman again; hopefully very soon. We have been learning the importance of building relationships with the amazing people already working in this neighbourhood.

How to Help?

Northwood Manor relies heavily on volunteers for a lot of their recreation programs. Even just coming to spend time with the seniors living here.

The staff expressed an interest in having someone from the church to come lead bible studies, and even small worship services for the residents. This would be a great opportunity to show the love the love of Christ to the older residents of this neighbourhood.

NOTE: Please be sure and keep the team in prayer as they finish off their mission today. Also be sure and tune in to Live at 5 tonight on CTV as they will be doing a short story on the work the team did this week!